I'm new - advice please, prep school

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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Claire1103
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:19 pm

I'm new - advice please, prep school

Post by Claire1103 »

Hi everyone. I'm new here - We are looking at independent schools for our daughter, age 8. We have been in touch with a school who offer a scholarship for year 4. They are up to 50%.

She will attend a taster day and sit the tests in early July. We also need to make an appointment to see the head, probably late June. We also want to apply for a bursary, whether this is along side the scholarship or stand alone. I don't know whether to ask for bursary information in advance or when we see the head?

In fact, I know very little about the scholarship and bursary side, other than what I've read on websites and other posts. Any advice would be great on all aspects of this. Thank you in advance.
harrow123
Posts: 299
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 10:54 am

Re: I'm new - advice please, prep school

Post by harrow123 »

Claire1103 wrote:Hi everyone. I'm new here - We are looking at independent schools for our daughter, age 8. We have been in touch with a school who offer a scholarship for year 4. They are up to 50%.

She will attend a taster day and sit the tests in early July. We also need to make an appointment to see the head, probably late June. We also want to apply for a bursary, whether this is along side the scholarship or stand alone. I don't know whether to ask for bursary information in advance or when we see the head?

In fact, I know very little about the scholarship and bursary side, other than what I've read on websites and other posts. Any advice would be great on all aspects of this. Thank you in advance.

you better ask for bursary information now, if your dd getting 50% scholarship that is good. still they can extend the benefit as means tested bursary. some schools offer upto 100% of fee. but u would not be getting 50% scholarship and upto 100% bursary, both together will be combined and it can be upto 100% of fee

how were you offered aleready 50% scholarship without your daughter sitting the exams

congrats anyway
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: I'm new - advice please, prep school

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi Claire1103

Welcome to the forum! You need to get a fair amount of information from the school before you go into all this process particularly if getting a scholarship or a bursary is crucial to your daughter going to the school.

I am afraid that they are part masters at marketing and will say, like in many good sales, up to 50% off or scholarship or whatever. Maybe occasionally they do give 50% but suspect more often 10-20% - sometimes they prefer to take 2 or 3 and give them maybe 15% each..

That is the scholarship side of things - will no doubt be based on the perfomance in the test and reports from previous school - some kids will have been coached at pre preps for this, others may not have been.

Bursaries however may or may not be based on reaching a specific standard, some school you have to be scholarship standard to get one, others allow all to apply. The problem comes with the income levels - many schools set the bar for parents paying 100% of the fees ie no help with fees from the school, at a far far lower level than most parents would hope or expect.

I suggest you have a chat with the bursar / ask for information before you go and you (and your daughter) decide you really like it ....

PS H123 - I think the OP was just mentioning that a scholarship was on offer for someone.... not that they had been offered it yet
Claire1103
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:19 pm

Re: I'm new - advice please, prep school

Post by Claire1103 »

Thank you both for the advice.

Yes the scholarship is on offer, not has been offered to us. Sorry, I didn't phrase that well.

I will email the bursar today and ask for relevant information and forms. Our daughter will only be able to go with approximately 70% + in assistance. Another school we are considering is looking at our bursary application to give an indication of what they may offer in our circumstances - the forms are just unreal though, very detailed!

Thank you again. Claire
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